The ultimate goal of Cascadoss was to educate the geospatial community, especially the users related to the use of GMES services, about the role geospatial open source projects can have within their working methods and decision-making processes, and to make them clear what the chances of participation in these activities are. As such, Cascadoss aims at building up a critical mass of open source users within the GMES society, which could support each other in finding open source solutions for environmental related problems.
This cascade training program included an extensive study was conducted on issues related to open source GIS and remote sensing technology:
1. a wide range of open source GIS and RS software projects were reviewed and evaluated. The best open source GIS and RS projects were identified and documented;
2. a wide range of environmental applications build on top of open source GIS and RS software was reviewed and evaluated. The best open source-based environmental applications were identified and documented;
3. the different types of business models / added value services that can be built on top of the open source GIS and RS technology are explored and documented;
4. the complex open source licensing policy was screened and translated into a comprehensive guide on open source legal issues.
On June 16-19, 2008 a one-day international symposium, combined with a 3-day information workshop were organised in Warsaw. The symposium brought together both professional developers and (potential) customers of open source technology and will, as such, stimulate research and innovation as well as networking in this field. The international information workshop targeted GIS-experts with a high level of expertise in GIS and/or programming, such as software service providers and IT/GIS-SMEs (= high end geospatial user).
The workshop participants received a detailed overview of the best open source GIS and remote sensing software projects, the best open source GIS and RS-based environmental applications and an explanation on open source licensing issues. The workshop also introduced the high-end trainees to the various business models / added value services that can be implemented on OSS. As such, the project aims at stimulating IT/GIS-SMEs and software service providers to develop new service platforms incorporating open source GIS and RS technology and consequently stimulate regional innovation GIS and RS strategies.
On the web-based geospatial open source software (OSS) portal
www.CASCADOSS.eu, under the 'Evaluation' menu, there is a list of good examples based on FOSS4G. There is also a best practice information form. The idea of that form is to collect information on good examples of application of free and open source software for geospatial (FOSS4G) solutions in public administration, environmental analyses and management. If you know an examples of such practices where the FOSS4G software were used please feel free to share you experiences with other FOSS4G users by filling the form. Comment on already posted selected project can also be submitted.
The consortium participants further transferred the acquired knowledge by organising national or regional information workshops in their own country. The target audience are people related to the use of GMES services, with low (or high) level of expertise in GIS and/or programming, such as public administrators, scientists, students (low end geospatial user). This course offers the trainees a detailed overview of the best open source GIS and remote sensing software projects, the best open source-based environmental applications and an explanation on open source licensing issues. As such, the project aims at stimulating GMES end users to incorporate open source GIS and RS technology into their working methods and decision-making processes.
Lastly, the website
www.cascadoss.eu contains the information and training materials from the international symposium and information workshop on "Free and open source software for geospatial for environmental applications". The main purpose of the international symposium was to present outcomes of the Cascadoss assessment of available FOSS4G tools and solutions, and to demonstrate the most promising and useful applications.
Project partners also strived to address the following questions:
- In what way open-source software can foster use of GI technologies (particularly in reference to the GMES programme) in the public sector?
- How the existing GI standards contribute to the development of open source applications? What are the current trends in this area?
- How can FOSS4G services benefit from open-source solutions and stimulate the development of business-related GIS and RS applications?